Diary Of The War Principal Events In Six Tense Years

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23280, 16 August 1945, Page 6

Diary Of The War Principal Events In Six Tense Years

1939 September I. Germany invaded Poland. 3. Britain and France declared war i on Germany. 1940 April 9. Germany invaded Norway and Denmark. May 10. Belgium. Holland, and Luxemburg invaded. 11. Mr Churchill Prime Minister, succeeding Mr Chamberlain. 15. Capitulation of Holland. 28. Belgian Army surrendered. June i 3. Dunkirk evacuation completed (335,000 men) I began May 29). 10. Withdrawal of British and French troops from North Norway announced. 11. Italy entered the war. 22 France signed armistice with Germany: June 24 with Italy. Julv 18. Burma Road closed for three months. August 9. British withdrawal from Shanghai. 11. Battle of Britain began, September 27. Japan joined the Axis. October 28. Italy invaded Greece. November 3. Landing of British troops in Greece announced. December 9. British offensive in Western Desert began. 1941 January 10. Russo-German Pact renewed. April 6. Germans invaded Greece and Yugoslavia. May 2. British forces evacuated from Greece. June 1. Evacuation from Crete completed. 22. Germany invaded Russia. July 12. Anglo-Soviet, agreement signed. 28. Japanese troops landed in IndoChina. August 14. Churchill - Roosevelt (Atlantic Charter) meeting at Sea announced. October 19. Tojo Cabinet formed in Japan. November 18. British offensive in Libya begun. December 7. Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. etc. 8. UJS.A. and Great Britain declared war on Japan. 1942 lanuary 22. Japanese landed at Rabaul. 23. Attack on Japanese convoy in Macassar Strait began.

rruruary 15. Singapore occupied by Japanese. 19. Japanese air raids on Darwin. 27. Battle of the Java Sea. Vlarch 8. Rangoon occupied by Japanese. 14. Arrival of U.S. troop's in Australia announced April 5. Colombo bombed by Japanese. 9. Surrender of Bataan. H.M.S. Cornwall, Dorsetshire, and Hermes sunk in Indian Ocean by Japanese air attack. 18. First bombing of Tokio by U.S. bombers. 29. Lashio taken by Japanese. May 6-11. Battle of the Coral Sea. Severe Japanese defeat. 26. Anglo-Soviet Treaty signed. June 1. Japanese midget submarines in Sydney harbour; four destroyed. 3-5. Battle of Midway. August 7. U.S. forces landed on Guadalcanal. 10. Battle of Savo Island, U.S and British cruisers lost, 13. Rus'ian counter-attack at Stalingrad. September 8 Japanese advance into Owen Stanley Mountains, New Guinea October 23 British offensive (El Alamein) begun, November 3. Kokoda (New Guinea) captured from Japanese. 8. Bri’isb and U.S. forces landed in North Africa. 12-14. Eleven Japanese warships and many transports sunk in Solomons. December 20. Advance of British and Indian troops into Tunisia announced. 1943 January 14. Casablanca Conference; ''unconditional surrender”, announcement. February 2. Surrender of Germans at Stalingrad. March 2. Japanese convoy smashed by air attack. Bismarck Straits May 13. Surrender of Axis forces in Tunisia. June 11. Surrender of Pantelleria.

July 10. Invasion of, Sicily. 25. Mussolini resigned. August 15. Japanese driven out of Aleutians September 8. Italy surrendered to the Allies. 14. French troops landed in Corsica Salamaua captured by Allies. 16. Lae captured. October 12. Heavy air raid on Rabaul. much Japanese shipping destroyed. 13. Italy declared war on Germany. Full occupation of New Georgia, Solomons, announced. November 20-24. U.S. attack on Gilbert Islands: battle of Tarawa. 22-26. Cairo Conference <Mr Churchill. Mr Roosevelt, Marshal Chiang Kai-shek). 28. Teheran Conference (Mr Stalin Mr Roosevelt, Mr Churchill) 1944 '• February 4. Conquest of Kwajalein. 7. Russian victory on Dnieper. 15. 2500 tons of bombs dropped on Berlin. - 17. U.S. air raid on Truk; 23 Japanese ships sunk. 20. N.Z. troops enter Casslno offensive. 28. Announcement that 89.000 Japanese had been isolated in New Britain. New Ireland, and Solomons area. March 16. New Zealanders attack on Cassino. April 2. Russians invaded Rumania. 23. Hollandia (New Guinea) occupied. May 18. Cassino captured. June 6. D Day. Invasion of France by Allies. 13. First flying bombs fall on England. 15. Super-Fortresses bombed Kyushu. 19. Japanese naval defeat. off Marianas. July 15. Saipan conquered. August 10. Nagasaki and Palembang bombed. Capture of Guam completed. 15. Allied forces landed in South of France. ■ 28. Russians entered Hungary. I September I 8. Bulgaria out of the war. 11. U.S. troops entered Germany at Treves. 15. Palau Islands (Peleliu’ and Halmahera invaded by U.S. forces 21. First heavy U.S. air raid on Manila. October 17. Americans landed in Leyte (Philippines). 24. Powerful Japanese fleet routed near Philippines; only two out of 60 snips undamaged. November 8. F. D. Roosevelt re-elected U.S President for fourth term.

10. Mr Churchill announced German use of rocket bombs. 23 and 27. Heavy air raids on Tokio 29. Destruction of six Japanese convoys m Philippine waters announced. December 10. Announcement of British Fleet under Admiral Fraser to operate in Pacific. 15. American landing, Mindoro (Philippines). 17. German offensive in Ardennes began. 1945 January 9. American landing in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon (Philippines). 14. Russian offensive north and south of Cracow. Beginning of great winter offensive. February 3. American forces re-entered Manila. 19. Invasion of Iwo Jima. 25. U.S. Carrier force bombed Tokio area. .March 1. Rhine crossed near Cologne by U.S. forces. 11. "Blitz” of Nagoya district begun 14. First 10-ton bombs used by R.A.F.; Iwo Jima conquered 19. Japanese fleet heavily damaged in Inland Sea. 20. Capture Of Mandalay April I 1. U.S. landing on Okinawa. 9. British offensive in Italy begun 12. Death of President Roosevelt. 25. San Francisco Conference opened. I 26: U.S. and Russian armies met at I Torgau. 29. Execution of Mussolini announced. 3(1 Australian landing on Tarakan Island. Borneo. I May 1. Death of Hit -r announced. I 2. Fall of Berlin. Surrender of Germans in Italy. 3. New Zealand troops in Trieste | 3. Capture of Rangoon announced. 5. German surrender in North-west Germany. 7. Final German Surrender. I 10. Great air assault on Japan begun. i From this date until the end of the war, American Super-Fortresses and aircraft carried on :. steadily increasing assault on Japanese cities and towns, beginning with rhe largest. The forces used were increased to as many as 800 Super-Fortresses, based on the Mariana Islands and later on Okinawa, and up to 1500 carrier-borne planes. The bomb-loads, mainly incendiaries. went up to 1600 tons There was practically no Japanese air opposition. and the heaviest loss suffered in any Super-Fortress attack was 12 machines. One after another of the industrial centres was wiped out.. June 12. New American landing on Okinawa. 14. Brunei. Borneo, captured. 21 Capture of Okinawa completed after 82 days. I July 1. Australian landing at Baiik Papan. Borneo. 1 4. General MacArthui .ounced complete liberation of the Philippines I 13 N:i' I bombardments ot Japanese "oast towre negr . 26. Potsdam nltlmainm demanding apanese surrender; declined bv Tokio next day I I Official announiTineni by U.F

Navy Department that Japanese navy, as a fighting force had been destroyed 6 First atnm’r bomb dropped on Hiroshima. 8. Russia declared war on Japan. 9 Second V "nic bomb dropped on '0 Janan willing to accept Allied surrender ultimatum provided Emperor retains prerogative 11 Four Powers agree to accept Japanese surrender nro'’ i <led the Sunreme Commander rules lanan trough the Emperor's authority 14 lanan accepts Mlicrt terms—un-